You name it?

Reader question:

Please explain “you name it” in this: In the past eight years, the three of us have visited all the major cities in the country, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, you name it.

My comments:

You name a city, and they’ve probably visited it.

So, why don’t you say the name of a city and see if they have been there?

“So, okay, Shenzhen?”

“We’ve been there.”

“Nanjing?”

“We’ve been there.”

“Tianjin?”

“There, too.”

“How about Lasa?”

“We’ve been to Lasa, actually twice.”

Okay, by “you name it”, they don’t really mean for you to really do that, but you should be convinced – of their assertion that they have been to every big city in China.

Anywhere and everywhere.

That is what “you name it” implies here.

As an idiom, “you name it” is used to suggest that a whole wide range of things – in fact, anything and everything you can literally name – are included in the possibilities being discussed.

Now, have the trio really travelled to each and every big cities in China?

It depends on what do you mean by “big”, I guess. From the flow of the conversation, though, we should be convinced that they have been travelling a lot.

And by “a lot”, I really mean A LOT.

In other words, no deed to take “you name it” too literally.

All right, let’s read a few media examples to get a better feel of “you name it”:

1. Memo to candidates: Stop generalizing and psychoanalyzing your opponents’ supporters. It never works out well for you.

The latest to fall into that trap is Hillary Clinton. The Democratic nominee, at a New York fundraiser Friday night with liberal donors and Barbra Streisand, said “half” of Trump supporters fit into a “basket of deplorables,” while the other half are people who feel the government has let them down and need understanding and empathy.

The comments have rocketed around the Internet, infuriated conservatives and threaten to once again throw salt in the wound of the American cultural divide in a presidential election that has seen vitriol and insults, fueled by Donald Trump, that have become the norm. The remarks also remind of inflammatory remarks in recent presidential elections on both sides – from Barack Obama’s assertion in 2008 that people in small towns are “bitter” and “cling to guns or religion,” to Mitt Romney’s 2012 statement that 47 percent of Americans vote for Democrats because they are “dependent upon government” and believe they are “victims,” to his vice presidential pick Paul Ryan’s comment that the country is divided between “makers and takers.”

Here are Clinton’s full remarks, per reporter Ruby Cramer at Buzzfeed:

“I know there are only 60 days left to make our case – and don’t get complacent, don’t see the latest outrageous, offensive, inappropriate comment and think well he’s done this time. We are living in a volatile political environment.

“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people, now have 11 million. He tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric. Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America.

“But the other basket, the other basket, and I know because I see friends from all over America here. I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas, as well as you know New York and California. But that other basket of people who are people who feel that government has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they are just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from. They don’t buy everything he says but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won’t wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroine, feel like they’re in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well.”

- Hillary Clinton’s ‘Basket Of Deplorables,’ In Full Context Of This Ugly Campaign, NPR.org, September 10, 2016.

2. During a TIME100 Talks discussion on Tuesday, award-winning actress and producer Eva Longoria discussed her role in new coalition Momento Latino, which aims to support the Latino community during – and in the aftermath of – the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has deepened long-standing inequalities apparent between white and Latino populations in the U.S., Longoria told TIME100 Talks correspondent Ashley C. Ford. “Whether it’s disparities in health care, or access to quality education or lack of economic mobility,” she said, coronavirus “has exacerbated the problems within our communities and put really a magnifying glass on just how inequitable all of these areas [are].”

According to Momento Latino, Latinos make up over a third of essential U.S. workers. “That’s farmworkers, health care workers, nurses, doctors, drivers, delivery services, meatpacking plants, everything, you name it,” Longoria said. Given the pandemic’s well-documented impact, in particular, on frontline and essential workers, Longoria noted that Latinos are being “hospitalized and dying at 4 times the rates of whites from the coronavirus.”

“We thought, ‘How can we support Latinos during this time?’” Longoria told Ford. “[And] what happens in a post-COVID era? How do small businesses recover? How do they get access to PPE loans? How do parents continue to home school their children when they don’t have Wi-fi or computers?”

Momento Latino – which launched in July – is made up of a collection of activists, artists, leaders, non-profit organizations and corporate leaders. Alongside Longoria, members includes U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro, chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés and singer Gloria Estefan. The coalition aims to connect and uplift non-profit organizations and advocacy groups already working to address systemic issues, Longoria explained, to “unify that information in one place and make sure Latinos have access to it… It’s a lot of connecting the dots.”

Momento Latino’s name translates to “the Latino moment,” Longoria told Ford. “It’s the moment for us to really take hold of our communities and represent and advocate for [ourselves],” she continued. “This is our moment to take charge.”

- ‘Our Moment To Take Charge.’ Eva Longoria on the Importance of Supporting Latino Communities Amid Coronavirus, Time.com, August 12, 2020.

3. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James check just about every box when it comes to greatness. Championships, MVPs, Finals MVPs, All-NBA selections – you name it, they have it. Both have hit the summit, but their journey to the top has been very different.

The Mamba always leaned into that killer instinct of his, while The King played more like a do-it-all force who could control every part of the game. Even when they linked up on the 2008 United States men’s Olympic basketball team, you could see the contrast.

Kobe was setting the tone with edge, while LeBron powered through everything in his path. Still, it felt like things were more about Bryant on the “Redeem Team” because everyone, Bron included, tried to emulate his work ethic. The best person to speak on this is someone who has balled alongside both legends. Retired NBA baller Deron Williams checked that box.

The three-time All-Star weighed in on the differences between James and Bryant on the To The Baha podcast. And while he lauded both, he also pointed out the mentality differences between the greats.

“Both of them, [their] work ethic was crazy. They both work hard. They’re just different,” said Williams.

“Kobe just had that mentality where he’s on his own, locked in, doing his thing. LeBron is more silly, keeping things light, which I think we needed both things. We needed both of those versions of them on that team. But LeBron could lock in, too,” he added.

It’s always hard to articulate the differences between two great players. But Williams did a good job pointing to Kobe’s greatest strength, his mind.

That’s not to say that LBJ doesn’t have incredible focus or determination. His locked in Miami Heat meme is still one of the most iconic visuals in NBA history. But James does have a level of silliness that Kobe doesn’t.

Of course, it was just an observation on Williams and not an attempt to judge who is better. He did, however, specify that if the game were on the line, he knows exactly who he would pass the ball to for the winning basket.

“I’ve been around both of them. Obviously, I played with both of them. If I got to get a ball to somebody to get a bucket, I’m going Kobe,” said Williams.

- LeBron James’ Former Teammate Picks Kobe Bryant Over ‘The King’ to “Get a Bucket”, TheSportsRush.com, March 25, 2026.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）